In this aerial image, some fishing boats are sunk and overturned in Muroto, Kochi, Japan on January 16, 2022 after the tsunami triggered by a massive volcanic eruption in Tonga. No casualties were reported in Japan. Photo: VCG

Employees of a Chinese enterprise in Tonga are safe and have access to essential supplies, though communication with them has been interrupted, a staff member of the company told the Global Times on Monday, after the country was hit by a tsunami caused by the eruption of an underwater volcano.

Liang Qing, head of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corp (CCECC) South Pacific, based in Vanuatu, told the Global Times on Monday that he was still trying to contact local staff members as communication links have been cut, noting that supplies can be shipped in from Fiji and other neighboring South Pacific countries, and the company has a charter plane.

"As soon as conditions permit, we will bring supplies there, but now, we are still contacting the airlines," Liang said.

Liang said that the more than 40 Chinese employees in Tonga are safe and have access to essential supplies that can last up to six months. 

According to Liang, he was only able to communicate with his colleagues in Tonga for a little more than one hour at around midday on Saturday, and has not been able to directly reach them since.

Liang added that all local employees were safe and there was no major damage to the company's property, citing reliable sources on Sunday morning. The shockwave from the eruption only shattered several glass windows, and news came later in the evening saying that the ash was being cleaned up.

As for essential supplies needed by local staff, Liang stressed that the company had been requiring branches in overseas markets to stockpile emergency supplies sufficient for three to six months in a bid to prepare for possible COVID-19 emergencies, so the material reserves in Tonga branch, including necessities such as medicines and life supplies, should be sufficient. 

Zhang Xuanbo, a staffer with the Chinese Embassy in Tonga, revealed at about 5 pm in Beijing Time) on Monday that there are around 1,000 Chinese nationals and six Chinese-backed firms with 70 employees in Tonga and so far there are no reports of death among Chinese nationals in Tongatapu, the main and largest island of the country, but some suffered minor injuries.

The Red Cross Society of China has announced to provide humanitarian aid in cash of $100,000 to Tonga and China will continue to offer help to the South Pacific island country in any way it is needed, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing on Monday. 

Official data showed that bilateral trade between China and Tonga in 2020 reached $33.96 million, a year-on-year increase of 14.8 percent. Of the total, China's exports reached $33.72 million, up 14.5 percent, while imports topped $238,000, up 82.6 percent compared with 2019.

China mainly exports mechanical and electrical products, plastic and rubber products, and other items to Tonga, while mostly importing timber and plant products from the country, according to China's customs. 

The major Chinese enterprises in Tonga include CCECC South Pacific, Yanjian Group, and Heilongjiang Yanbei Group, according to a guidebook regarding investment in Tonga issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the Chinese Embassy to Tonga.